Was it fate or chance that led us to this Stolpersteine Plaque? This small brass stone commemorates a victim of Nazi persecution. It marks a place where someone’s life was tragically interrupted.
The Stolpersteine project is the work of German artist Gunter Demnig. These “stumbling stones” pay tribute to victims of Nazism between 1933 and 1945. This includes Spanish deportees. Madrid remembers these victims of Nazism through this monument and these plaques.
These stones are small commemorations about 10 cm per side. Each has the victim’s name and birthdate. They also include data about the Second World War and their death or liberation. It is moving to read each stone. Many Spanish Republican fighters fled to France. They continued fighting fascism against Hitler and Vichy France. Many were captured and sent to Mauthausen.
Around 9300 Spaniards were imprisoned in Nazi concentration camps. About 5000 died. They were political exiles or Republican sympathizers. They had fled to France after the Spanish Civil War ended in 1939. The German Nazi soldiers captured about fifteen thousand Spanish refugees. They were deported to prison camps like Mauthausen in Austria.
One Stolpersteine Plaque we can visit is dedicated to Manuel García. He was a young Spaniard. He lived near Escuela Pias in Lavapiés. He began his patisserie career in 1930. By 1936 he led the pastry team at the Hotel Nacional. When the Spanish Civil War started in 1936 García joined the Republican militias. He fought in the Sierra de Guadarrama in the Battle of the Ebro. He was captured on January 25 1941. He became prisoner number 3243 in Mauthausen. He was moved to Gusen in Austria. He died there on July 3 1942 of “pulmonary tuberculosis”.
Gabriel Álvarez Arjona was born in Madrid in 1899 or 1900. He was a painter and decorator. In 1936 he joined the Antifascist Worker and Peasant Militias to defend Madrid. He went into exile in France in 1939. He was interned in various camps. He worked in a painting business until 1943. He was arrested for having links with Spanish communists. He was transferred to Voves camp. The SS deported him to Neuengamme concentration camp. His personal belongings were confiscated. He was liberated on April 29 1945 in Sandbostel camp. He returned to France and lived there until he died on September 4 1982.
The Stolpersteine Madrid initiative traced Gabriel Álvarez Arjona’s family to Australia. A commemorative plaque was unveiled for him in Madrid’s Tetuán district.
The Stolpersteine Plaque reminds us that neutrality is impossible. The Stolpersteine project in Madrid reveals the scope of this trauma. Understanding this history helps us embrace global citizenship. It renews self-awareness and empathy. These stones invite us to pause. They make us reflect on the individuals who suffered. They ensure their stories are never forgotten.